Whatever
by Symphonious
Summary: Sasuke died, and Sakura is devastated. But her life changes once she finds a written message on her window. I will never leave you, even if I die. But she forgets him. She becomes like him. Until he returns, and with a surprise. Sasuke x Sakura
1. The Message

**WHATEVER.**

**The Appearance.**

I never thought it would happen, you know? It all seemed like life was endless, but then _boom_. You're gone. All it takes is one shot. Humans are so fragile. They can't even protect themselves long enough to live till thirty. Well, I can't complain. I've took many lives myself. It happens, and there's nothing you can do about it. I do have to say… it's kind of nice to be dead. Kind of cool. You can be anywhere you want, anytime you want. You can do as you please.

And there I am, standing over my dead body, watching people pass with their expressions solemn and depressed. Putting a white flower onto my coffin or something. Oh, great. There's a flash of pink. There she goes, crying her eyes out. She doesn't even look up at me, bawling at the ground. Oh, and such a great day for my funeral. A sunny day, cloudless, the sky a perfect blue. It is kind of nice to be dead. Its comforting, to know that all those sayings of _I will always be with you_ and _I will never leave you** even if I die**_can come true. It's comforting to know that you will always be with the ones you love and care about. No matter how much of a shock it is.

* * *

It has been more than a week since his death, and Sakura never left her room. She refused meals, was sleep-deprived and absolutely speechless. Her parents tried to comfort her, but she would always ignore them, even when the door opens into a slight crack with her mother peaking in, trying desperately to convince her daughter to eat. But no. They don't understand.

_He told me he would never leave me._

_He promised me._

_He **promised** me he would never leave me._

_He broke his promise._

_How could he?_

It scared Sakura out of her skin as she thought about all those things they did together… and all those things they won't be able to do anymore… now that he's gone...

She muttered something under her breath, stifling a sob, she sniffled, her messy pink hair flopping onto her eyes, which have lost their emerald glow, and turned blood-shot and red. Her tear-stained face, once rosy and beaming, was now pale and glooming. She was still in her funeral clothing, a black dress that reached down to her knees. Sandals were lying somewhere underneath her bed. Sakura gasped for air, but her throat was clogged with a strange lump, and did not let the air in. She sniffled again, and lifted her head for her knees slowly as she looked out the window with red eyes.

"How could you, Sasuke?" She whispered, as a soft breeze entered her open window.

It was a cool summer day; a day when they would usually train or take walks together. It was July 16, the day Sasuke accepted her fan-girlish-ness, and asked her out. Naruto, of course, was outraged about the fact that they were dating, but the two ignored it, and the blonde received the usual monotonous dis.

_Dobe. You're just going to have to deal with it, then. _Muttered Sasuke with a mysterious smirk that made any girl fall over at his feet. Sakura was the lucky one… or the **_Chosen One_** as Ino would call her.

* * *

**Flashback**

**It was sunset, and the sky was lit a crimson red, reflected in Sakura's eyes as she pressed closer to the man beside her, his strong arm around her waist. As she looked up at him with brilliant emerald eyes and smiled at the dark-haired boy with equally dark eyes.**

_"Sasuke?"_** She asked softly, looking up at him expectantly.**

_"Hn?"_

_"Will you ever leave me? Even if you die?"_

**Sasuke looked down at her, one eyebrow raised in question, though a soft smile spread his lips. This was so unlike Uchiha Sasuke. He was never so soft and gentle around others, not even around Sakura when they first met. For all he would do was that annoying _'hn'_ sound, which drove the girl insane at first, though she was driven by the ultimate desire to defeat Ino at something. She never even liked Sasuke, never in a life-time. **

**Her first impression of him was a self-centered, selfish, misunderstood, emo-like, sadistic jerk. He was always sitting in the dark, staring out the window, and whenever the teacher asked him a question, he'd always get it perfectly right. It seriously drove Sakura insane… this proud, uncaring, hot (yes, hot) strange creature, who was a genius.**

**Whatever made her opinion change? Well, let's see… **(Yes, I know this is VERY unlikely of Sasuke, but com'n! It's a fanfiction! xD)** he started hitting on _her._**

_"Com'n, Sakura. You sound like a three-year-old talking to their dying pet."_

_"Yes, but animals can't talk, can they?" _

**Sasuke sighed.**

_"No, they can't. And to answer your earlier question, no. Not even if I die. But wait… how old are you again?"_

_"Sixteen… why?"_

_"Exactly."_

**End**

For the first time in a week, Sakura opened the door, and exited her own little world of misery and pain. Stepping down the stairs, her bare feet sticking to the hardwood floor. She stumbled down the stairs into the kitchen, where her mother and father were sitting at the kitchen table, talking openly and with smiles on their face. They both looked up at their only daughter, and their expressions suddenly changed from happy to sad. Her mother (with the same pink hair) scowled angrily (and sadly, with the same temper and personality) as Sakura entered the kitchen, not even glancing at her parents. She opened a cupboard, took out a glass, and wasn't able to stifle another breaking sob. The glass slipped her hands, but thankfully, she caught it quickly, and put it down onto the counter.

Her parents watched with worried expressions, exchanging glances across the table. Her mother started to open her mouth, but Sakura was faster.

"No, mom. D-don't." She sniffled softly, staring at the glass, which reflected her depressed face.

Her father tried to join the conversation, but failed miserably.

"No, daddy. I'm alright."

She finally grabbed the glass, and stuffed it under the tea pot, where they, strangely, kept water. Draining the glass in few easy gulps, Sakura sighed, and put on a fake smile, turned to her parents, and nodded.

"I'm going out." She muttered shortly, and turned on her heels, before her parents could say anything. As she ran up the stairs, a thought lingered in her mind.

_Sasuke wouldn't want me to cry my eyes out for the rest of the summer. I would have to stop some time around. Maybe some fresh air would help._

She didn't know how, but after a week of constant crying, she was thinking perfectly clearly. As she entered her room and rummaged through her closet, Sakura knew that Sasuke would probably be very happy with her.

"'My God!'" She imitated him under her breath. "'That idiot finally got out of the house!'" She giggled softly as she pulled on a simply red tee, and a_ black_ skirt. She could still mourn if she wanted to… silently.

Sakura turned to the phone after brushing her shoulder-length pink hair, and washing her face from itchy tear stains, and picked up the receiver absent-mindedly. Unconsciously, she dialed a random phone number, and waited.

In a matter of moments, a soft voice came on the phone.

"Ino?" Sakura asked uncertainly.

"_Sakura_?" A voice replied with the same tone.

"How're you feeling?" Sakura asked, sitting down onto her bed.

"_I'm good… just came out of the shower, but more importantly, how are you doing?_"

"I'm fine."

"_You __do know what fine stands for, right_?"

Sakura chuckled. "Yes, Ino. I do."

"_Good. Now don't make me repeat it again, 'cause I forgot what it was…_"

Ino laughed, but Sakura stayed silent. Her gaze was driven towards the window, where a soft knock descended from. The glass still vibrated slightly, and Sakura thought she saw Sasuke's face appear in it and his mouth moved slowly with an inaudible message, but no sounds came from his lips. And just as fast as he appeared, he vanished, as if nothing ever happened.

"_Sakura?_" Ino's voice sounded anxious.

"Yeah?" Sakura replied, still staring out of the window, where raindrops started to bounce against the glass, leaving nothing but wet spots against the window. Unconsciously, Sakura pressed the End button on her phone, and walked towards the window. On it, with wet finger tips, someone had written the words '**_I told you I will never leave you. Even if I die._**'


	2. The Decision

**WHATEVER.**

**The Decision.**

Sakura gasped as the first message was washed away, replaced by a new one. It read:

_**I still love you, you know.**_

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered, putting her fingertips against the window on her side, and sliding them against the words that were vanishing slowly against the pouring rain. She sighed, maybe it was an illusion… a pattern the raindrops were creating on her window. Shrugging, Sakura turned away from the window, and dropped down onto her bed, but this time, not crying. Her gaze hardened, until it became as cold as ice, and was stripped of all emotions. There she sat, staring at the floor with an expression-less face, and she felt her skin grow cold.

Grabbing a kunai that was lying on her bed-side table, and with a flash, her long hair turned chin-short, uneven and rough. The cut-off pink hair was lying on her knees, stray hairs littering the carpet. Standing up curtly, Sakura let the pink locks fall to the ground as she went to her closet. Ripping off the red skirt, she stuffed on a random shelf in her closet, put on some dark training shorts. Walking over to the bed-side table, and grabbing her kunai by the handle, Sakura shot the window a cold glance, before opening it wide, and starting to walk away. When she reached the door, she suddenly turned on her heels, and sped towards the open window and jumped right through it, gasping as the cold rain hit her uncovered skin, soaking her hair and clothing with freezing water.

She landed on her feet lightly. Noticing her reflection in the window of the opposite house, but looked away, the terrifying image of herself imprinted in her mind permanently. Her pink hair was sticking to her neck and cheeks, as her clothing was sticking to her own pale skin. Her once dashing eyes were bloodshot and dull, and the blush on her cheeks had vanished completely, turning the skin on her cheeks as pale as every other part of her body. Inside her, rage boiled and flamed like a wildfire, spreading and heating every part of her body with a madness never seen on her face.

_You._ She thought, closing her eyes sharply. _You made me like you._ And her now lit-up eyes were frozen in one spot, fixated, the feeling was dreadfully imbedding itself in her soul and heart. The intent to kill.

She jumped from roof to roof with incredible speed, just a flash to that kid who was peering out the window, and was soon where she wanted to be. The training grounds where Kakashi used to take them. The blood was bubbling in her veins, roaring in her ears, and pumping into her quickly beating heart as she halted abruptly, her knees buckling at the force. She raised the kunai which was shut tightly in her wet hand, the cold skin now turning blue from the freezing rain, and stabbed it into the ground. Slowly, but determinedly, Sakura started to scrape words into the wet soil. A stick, an arch and words formed from the tip of her weapon.

When she finished, her lifeless eyes gazed up into the sky, ignoring the raindrops that blurred her vision.

"I hope you can read these words, Sasuke," She whispered through gritted teeth. "'Cause if you do… you would know…" Sakura knew that he would see these words imprinted in the earth, the upturned grass roots decorating and kind of giving it a graffiti look. "You would… know…" She poked at the words with her finger, still glaring up at the gray, stormy skies. "That… I hate you."

The words… those terrible words… she meant them; her whole heart was set on those deathly words.

_**Leave me alone.**_

* * *

**SIX YEARS LATER**

A swirling blue shape lay between her fingers, the perfect round surface untainted by the rolling sweat that left lines down her forehead, cheeks and neck. The bark crumbled from the force of the swirling mass of icy chakra, and as she pushed harder into the core of the tree trunk, the wood chips stripped her skin into small scratches upon her arms and legs. Soon the tree gave away as she pushed the ball harshly into the bark, breaking at its central point of gravity, cracking in half and falling onto the ground with a loud crash.

Her arms went limp, and she panted softly, her eyes shining with triumphant. Surrounding her in a spread-out circle, were about ten fallen trees, and the user of this strange jutsu sighed, her lips opening only a little bit, and still she could taste the tangy, salty taste of her own sweat. Behind her, applause exploded into the air, and the tension and tiredness broke, the buzzing noise in her ears faded as she turned to face her own cheer-leader.

"Good job, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled loudly, his hands clapping together energetically. Sakura brushed her pink hair out of her eyes, and straightened her back, smiling widely at her friend. This was Uzumaki Naruto, a friend who had never left her side since Sasuke's death. The once young blonde boy of twelve-years, with an endless supply of never-ending energy now turned into a mature young man of twenty-two years. His wide grin was replaced by a sophisticated smile, but his electric blue eyes still shone brilliantly. The simple crush he had on his former team-mate had now grown into the undying love that he showed through acts of training with Sakura, helping her through tough times. Though those tough times never happened, he was still there, by her side.

Though Sakura still didn't think of him in that way, and when she was still dating Sasuke, Naruto would always go out on nights when Sasuke had a mission or two, staying over at her house when she didn't want to be alone, but not making a move. And even now, six years later, six long years after the Uchiha's death, Naruto still didn't move farther than the friends point, waiting until Sakura was ready and respected him in a way that was much more than friendship. He would ask her how she was feeling sometimes, looking deep into her eyes, and saying that he loved her, but seeing the hidden pain and sorrow made him want to kill himself. Sakura knew, it reflected in his eyes… everything she was feeling deep inside her heart.

Sakura embraced Naruto in a hug, giggling softly as he hugged her back.

"Thanks so much, Naruto-san!" She whispered into his ear. "This is the best seventeenth birthday present ever!" She heard Naruto chuckle.

"Yes, considering that it took you almost five years to master the Rasengan completely, it's the perfect birthday present."

"Shut up, dobe."

"No."

"Oh, yeah?" Sakura leaned out of the hug slightly, her hands still wrapped neatly around his neck. There was something strained about her smirk, and her emerald eyes, which had lost their wonderful shine almost six years ago, dulled in the shadows of leaning willows, blossoming slender, green leaves.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, glaring at the pink-haired kunoichi before him. "You got a problem with it?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe it is."

"Then, I accept…" Her smirk widened, and there something like an evil glint in her dull eyes. No… not and evil glint. A sparkle. The intent to kill. The feeling that seemed to fill her up to the top everyday, every night, every nightmare and every little thing that would happen to her everyday. It was a simple routine. Train for hours at a time without rest, then rest, eat something, and then train again. After going to sleep at about 11 pm., she would wake up at six am, get ready and go train again. But… if a challenge is proposed, it must be accepted… out of respect, really.

Sakura swiftly let go of Naruto's neck, backed up a step, and stood there, her arms limp at her side, though the hand at the side of her kunai holster kept twitching slightly. She wore that same black t-shirt, and those same dark blue training shorts. On that day when she had finally made a decision that she kept through six years of struggle, hard work, and endless pain. It was a promise she made to herself… a promise she would never break… unless _he_ came back. She didn't even dare to say his name aloud, or even announce it in her own thoughts. She now knew him as _he._

Naruto stood there watching her with an attentive expression, facing her own practiced blank one.

"Let's begin."

* * *

**N/A thingy...: **Yeah... that's an interesting twist, I might say! Sorry for updating so late, I was babysitting today, so it took me a while. The girl fell asleep, and when she woke up... she started crying and saying that she wanted her mommy... I wouldn't say that's unusual... she's only 5. xD Anyways... I hope you liked it! READ AND REVIEW OR FEEL THE WRATH OF my DULL BUTCHER'S KNIFE OF DOOm.. (it alway scares the shit outta people... xD) 


	3. The Fight

**WHATEVER.**

**The Fight.**

Naruto made the first move, a step forwards. Immediately, Sakura responded with a quick hand seal and there was nothing but smoke left in her spot. She watched blonde from above, four kunais twirling in between her fingers, green eyes shining with a deadly light. He knew this was dangerous, and he knew she would accept. He would now have to face a battle to the death. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and Naruto's head jerked upwards, and their eyes met for a brief moment.

"Found you." Naruto whispered, his own hand reaching into the kunai holster on his hip.

"Took you long enough," Sakura hissed, throwing the kunais one after the other, with perfect aim. At that same moment, Naruto's own weapons flew right at her, but her sharp reflexes shoved her to the next branch on the tree above. The metal objects barely missed her, but kept following her to every branch she stepped onto, cutting newly opened leaves off the willows.

With a glance back, Sakura caught a flash of light blue markings in the air, and they stretched all the way to Naruto's slightly twitching fingers. _Chakra strings!_ Sakura hissed in her mind, as she grabbed a stray kunai to which Naruto had not been paying attention to, and jerked it hard, making her opponent gasp in surprise, as he stumbled forward, but kept his footing.

She was now taking control of Naruto's weapons, having all three of them by the handles, twirling them all in between her fingers, just like she had with her own ones. The blonde's fingers were being played with painfully, but he disconnected the strings just before his fingers were broken. Leaping backwards, he gazed up at the pink-haired kunoichi above him, sitting comfortable on a thick branch, only the balls of Sakura's feet touching the wood, the navy blue sandals hanging from her slender fingers.

"Bastard." She growled throatily, smirking down at him in a very Sasuke-ish way. She let his kunais slip her fingers, and they fell down in a neat circle around the Uzumaki. Naruto was still looking at Sakura with an attentive gaze, his blue eyes taking in every movement and twitch in her muscles and skin. He only twitched his nose when he smelt smoke just as it clouded his vision completely, but he didn't move. Suddenly, everything exploded around him, and the kunais flew upwards, red strings still attached to them, though they formerly belonged to the explosive tags she had stuck onto them.

Sakura settled down, warming her bare feet in the hot smoke and fire as the flames died away. She sighed as the gray, thick fumes cleared, revealing a large, hollow hole inside the now completely imperfect grassy soil.

_Did I really kill him?_ She thought sadly as she gazed into it, but no sign of a blown-up human was shown. Sakura tensed. _Replacement technique!_ Her mind screamed at her. She felt a warm breath against her neck and she struggled to control herself, to control the shaking feeling she was about to experience.

"Missed the tiny detail, huh?" Naruto whispered harshly into her ear, pressing a cold kunai to her throat. Sakura relaxed.

"Yeah," She muttered, mastering the grip on her sandals. "Yeah, not really." Taking advantage of the confused moment, Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and jerked it away from her throat, while turning around on the spot, and giving him a good slap on the face with the bottoms of her sandals. The blonde stumbled back and landed with an 'oomph' on his back, while Sakura jumped on top of him, pressing a weapon against his own throat.

He looked up at her, the short, bubblegum hair hanging and brushing against her pale cheeks, while her emerald eyes seemed to darken and looked as black as the sky at night. Naruto started to reach up to brush a stray lock from her face, but she noticed, and before he could jerk away, Sakura pinned it with her kunai-free hand. Immediately, her face flushed with rage.

"What do you think you're doing?" She snarled at him, pushing her face closer to his, so that their noses almost touched, and Naruto gulped.

"N-nothing…" He stuttered and Sakura smirked with amusement. Hinata was rubbing off him with the same stuttering-ness.

"Yeah, right." She spat, the smirk wiping clean off her face. "You were about to touch my face."

"N-no… n-n-no..." But before he could finish his sentence, he received another slap on the face, this time it wasn't with sandals, but with Sakura's pale hand. The impact surprised him, but to say he wasn't expecting something in the form of extraordinary pain would an utter lie. But he definitely didn't expect a knee in between his legs, and with a pained moan, Naruto curled up in a ball, his eyes watering. And before he could say anything more, there was nothing but a puff of white smoke just where Sakura had been.

When he finally got up to his feet (with much struggle), Naruto stepped slowly, but his foot met no solid soil or wood, and he fell, his face meeting the unforgiving ground.

"Oh…"

* * *

She kept walking, her chin up, eyes dull and expressionless, though anger bubbled inside her like a pot of boiling water. Though the fight wasn't much exercise, and the move Naruto tried to finish was definitely something to be angry about, Sakura felt a kind of satisfaction for kneeing him in the crotch. She didn't even care if he was a friend or not, she didn't care about anything. From this day on, she didn't know him. Even though she knew she had friends, and even though she smiled falsely whenever she saw or hung out with them, forced a laugh out at a very stupid and not funny joke, she never let them know she had changed. Only Naruto. He had been her closest friend since _he_ left. Right. She didn't even let herself think about it. Not of anger or distress, but of pure hatred.

"Sakura!" The kunoichi jerked her head up, hastily removing all the thoughts from her head. _Tenten… Hinata?_ Straining a small smile, Sakura waved at the two approaching girls.

"Tenten! Hinata!" She called back, walking slowly towards them. They stopped right in front of her, and collapsed at her feet, their faces flushed. A somewhat realistic smirk played at her perfect lips as she mused at her friends' lack of physical fitness.

Finally, Tenten regained her breath and gazed up at Sakura, her large brown eyes beaming.

"Tsunade-sama wants to see you," she whispered, but Sakura only gazed at her with a confused expression.

"Doesn't she always," replied Sakura monotonously, taking her eyes off Tenten, and looking over at the large building, where Tsunade lounged in her office, usually sleeping and drooling over some important document.

"T-T-Tsunade-s-sama says i-its imp-portant…" stuttered Hinata, her face still red. It was obviously a very long run from the red building. But Sakura just sighed.

"See you later," She muttered, and without further ado, she was a flash atop the distant houses, her slightly over-sized t-shirt flapping in the wind. Her sandals were still hanging from her hands, and Sakura jumped barefoot against the burning rooftops, heated by the sun's glare on a late spring morning. She kept going, farther and farther away from Naruto, from Tenten and Hinata, and from the distant thoughts she left behind.

Suddenly, the wind changed, and it harshly blew into Sakura's face, making her topple over in surprise. She gasped as her back hit the metal roof, which felt as cold as ice under her touch. She laid there for a moment, before propping herself on her elbows. None of the villagers seemed to notice this strange change in wind patterns, but some people stared at her as she stood up and dusted herself. Sakura sighed, it was just her imagination.

_Just the imagination…_ She thought, though still felt unconvinced. She glared down at the metallic roof top, now burning against the bare skin on her feet, which only moments ago felt as cold as the winter that had just left them. She gasped again as a cold breath ruffled her short bubblegum pink hair, and a soft voice whispered into her ear, even though she wasn't able to make out what it was.

She took a step, and uncertainly kept moving forward and when she was completely sure that no possible wind distractions would make her fall over this time, Sakura gathered speed again, and was, in a moment's time, before the Fifth Hokage.

"Yes?" She said softly, her monotonous voice making Tsunade jerk her head up. The Godaime seemed a bit disturbed with Sakura's behavior, for she never actually seen Sakura in an angry mood, neither had she ever seen her best medic-nin and leader of the ANBU squad cry. This wasn't the Sakura she had seen at Sasuke's funeral. Nor was it the Sakura she had met ten years ago.

The Hokage looked into Sakura's emerald eyes, seeing a false light in them, but she realized it was just the reflection of the sunlight that streamed out the window behind her. Sakura's eyes did not sparkle. They were hollow and emotionless, and it reminded her, a bit too greatly, of the Uchiha himself.

"Sakura." Tsunade hissed curtly, placing her chin onto her intertwined hands.

"That's me." The girl's reply was humorless.

"A mission."

"I'm listening."

"Right." Tsunade looked up, just in time to see Sakura's fists clenching. Her knuckles turned white, just at the sound of the word _mission_. It was never something good.

"My spies have spotted the Uchiha (Sakura flinched) just outside the Sound Village, hiding in a cave right outside the border. They are pretty sure it was him, but I want you to investigate and report what you find. I am sending _you_ and only _you_ because you were the closest person to him, even since that accident."

_Him_? Outside the Sound Village? But he's—

"He's dead." Sakura growled, her bangs now covering the eyes, and her fists clenched tighter. Tsunade just watched.

_She's just like him, now isn't she?_

"It's impossible."

"That's why I need—"

"I'm not going." Tsunade stopped in surprise.

"'Not going?'" She repeated softly, her eyes firing up. "What do you mean, 'not going'? It's an order, Haruno!" Tsunade stood up with such force that the chair she was sitting on slid right out the window, breaking the newly washed glass. The Godaime ignored the screams below, and was only glaring at Sakura, who was returning her stare with the same strength. Now locked in a staring contest, or that was what it seemed like, the two didn't move a muscle. The battle continued on, even when Shizune came in, but stepped out quickly, not wanting to be caught in the raging fight.

"I don't care if it's an order, Tsunade. He's dead, and I am not going to waste my time on a useless mission for a man who doesn't even exist!" Sakura yelled, still not shifting her gaze from the Fifth's firing eyes. Her own deathly glare would have roasted the Hokage on the spot, if it wasn't for the damn feminism that made those unwanted tears stream out of her eyes. Sakura was the only one who was allowed to call Tsunade by her name without the –sama suffix, because no matter what she did, Sakura was still almost unstoppable.

Tsunade sighed, and closed her eyes.

"Fine." She muttered softly, opening her eyes once again. Now softened and she watched Sakura with a motherly look.

"Don't give me that look." Sakura snarled, her voice unwavering in spite the sobs that raked her body.

"Shizune!" the Hokage boomed, making Sakura flinch. "Stop listening, and bring me back the goddamn chair!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Sounded a shaky voice outside the door, the noise of hurried, clicking heels showed that Shizune obeyed. Sakura was still staring at the woman before her, who was now leaning against the desk with her back to the crying, pink-haired kunoichi.

"You're going, Sakura."

"Fine," Sakura muttered, defeated. "But I don't want anyone coming with me."

"You have a deal." Tsunade smirked at the window. "See you soon."

* * *

**N/A**: This was a strange chapter... I tried to make it a bit funny... though it didn't work even one bit... sorry to all those who wanted a funny chapter, but I don't think this is one of those stories with the girliness and the humor. I'm not too good with humor... I'm actually not funny at all at the moment. xD Anyways... I hope you enjoyed it! R&R or FACE THE CONSEQUENCES! MWhAHAH!! . 


	4. The Mission

**WHATEVER.**

**The Mission.**

How ever stupid this mission was, it proved to be surprisingly easy in the beginning. Sakura got dressed, this time actually putting on her sandals, and stepped out the door. The two kunai holsters on each of her hips were filled to the top, with an emergency one sticking out, obviously, in case of an emergency, and also a beige back pack hung from her shoulders, packed with all the medical stuff she would be needing, whether this man was really _him_ or not.

She sighed, stopping on a random roof top, only half-way to the forest, lost in thought. Earlier this morning (which was actually 5 a.m.) she had found a written note sitting on her kitchen table, with _his_ writing. She read the note several times, and actually memorized what it said. She replayed the words in her head all the way out of her house, and it made her wonder…_Was it really him?_

The contents of the note were:

**"Sakura,**

**Thank you for taking this mission. It really means a lot to me. And what you will find in the end might be something that you were sent to find. But it won't be me.**

**Well, maybe it well. See you soon!"**

**-_Sasuke_**

_It couldn't have been him,_ Sakura thought to herself, screwing her face up in confusion, though she still was unconvinced by her own thoughts. She shook her head, but the letter was stuck in her memory, chanting itself over and over again in her own voice. Sakura almost screamed, but only grabbed her hair, and pushed her head down to her chest. _No._ She hissed firmly to herself, opening her eyes slowly, and staring at the ground. It was dark all around her, but her vision and excellent sense of direction never betrayed her. Though, she sometimes wished that she had Kiba's nose… that way she would be able to track this man in no time.

Sakura took a step forwards, and immediately, the chanting became louder, but it died away as soon as it began. She gasped silently, her eyes widened. Sakura looked up, and saw… she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Sasuke?" She whispered, and blinked quickly. The image disappeared. Was she going insane? "That's a definite yes." Sakura breathed, still staring at the picture the wind had created before her eyes until it vanished. That's impossible…

Her pink hair ruffled in the soft breeze that passed by, her overly sized t-shirt shifted its position on her shoulders slightly. Her emerald green eyes were still dull and hollow, almost as dark as night, though she could see the sunrise begin far behind the trees. She had better hurry, if she was lucky, she could get to the sound Village before sun high.

Quickly gathering her speed, the medic-nin hopped the roofs lightly, only making them vibrate for a second before she was on the next house top. Sakura's hair flapped around her, the kunais in their holsters shook, and the tiny beige back pack held tightly against her shoulders, but this did not slow her speed, nor did sudden rush of wind. The trees seemed to get bigger with incredible velocity, and in absolutely no time, Sakura stepped onto a thick branch, panting slightly.

Grabbing onto the tree trunk for balance, Sakura winced as she took off her sandals, rubbing the reddened skin where the straps rubbed against her feet and ankles. She hissed softly as pain oozed itself throughout her lower leg, but Sakura ignored it. Leaving the sandals on a stray, thin branch, hanging there, she enjoyed the feeling of bark against her feet.

The forest was like a second home to her, and it felt like home as well. She trained here, spending most of the day practicing her aiming and kicks against the strong tree trunks, then healing them, using the knowledge Tsunade had passed on to her. She even ate here whenever she didn't feel like going home for dinner, and wanted to be left alone in peace. Her apartment was a bit gloomy for her on those days, so she spent her day outside, enjoying the fresh air in her lungs. She even sometimes slept here, and not the camping kind of thing. She would lie on thick branches of trees, and watch the stars until the soft rustling of the leaves, and the sparkle of the night sky lulled her to sleep.

Finally, the pain soothed, and Sakura was on her journey again, her feet used to the rough skins of the trees, for she always took off her sandals. She didn't even know _why_ those horrible things were invented. Some people say for better training, but she said **no**. Others said not to get her feet dirty, but she said **_no_**. She liked the sensation of caked mud and water on her feet, it felt more comfortable.

This Sakura wasn't the sort of tamed and shy person she was when she became a kunoichi. She didn't run around _him_, screaming out his name like those rabid fangirls, who followed him like moths flying towards a flame, hoping to be killed. Sakura sighed, smirking at that distant memory. No. She wasn't like that at all anymore… if it wasn't for him, she would still be the _weak_ Sakura. She is strong now. All thanks to him.

She didn't even regret his death anymore. She felt comforted by the fact that she would not need protecting now. She doesn't _need_ _protection_. That's for weaklings. For those who used to be like her.

Grinning mischievously, Sakura stepped lighter now, but more urgently than before. She wanted to see if those spies were right or wrong. Either way, she would still beat the crap out of them. Why would they spy on _him_ of all people? He was **dead**. But, still… the guy, who was, unfortunately, thought to be the Uchiha, would still get a handful from her…

**LATER THAT DAY**

Sakura stood there, panting slightly, tired. She had run all the way from Konoha to the Sound Village without stopping once to catch her breath. Even so, the fatigue brought color to her extremely, abnormally pale face. Glancing around, Sakura breathed in deeply, though taking in a gulp empty of air whatsoever.

_Why the hell would a spy look here?_ She thought, still trying to breathe in. The place looked absolutely frightening.

It was completely dark even though the sun was up high, and the floor was covered with thorn bushes, bramble sticking out of rocks that didn't even have cracks in them. The trees were blackened and leaf-less, the branches hung loosely on the trunks, and they were apparently completely dead, stripped of the rough, healthy bark which Sakura loved to scratch her feet against. The whole setting was surrounded by a large, stone cliff, rounding the clearing in a semi-circle, like a moon, but it was pretty high. Sakura wasn't able to see above the cliff, while standing on a fairly high branch, too.

Looking around it sent shivers down her spine, but she didn't let it show, even though there was no-one there, but just out of trained self control. Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, and with a soft sigh, she opened them slowly, half-lidded. She still glared as she stood on a thick branch, still barefoot, the slippery surface of the dead tree almost making her slip, but she held her balance, gripping the trunk tightly with her hand.

This looked like a classic fairytale setting. Somewhere the evil witch would hide out and keep the princess out of the knight's reach. Sakura chuckled softly at the thought.

_I wonder who he is,_ she allowed a small, childish giggle escape her lips, before turning her face expressionless. _The witch or the princess…_

Looking around carefully, Sakura detected slight movement in one of the thorn bushes, the ones closer to the stone wall, and with a swift jump, she landed right before it. Being careful not to touch any of the thorns, the pink-haired kunoichi peeked over. To her surprise, she was looking into the blackness of the cave she had been searching for. Sakura glanced around suspiciously. This was a bit too easy. Was this a set up, or something?

Not being able to shrug the feeling off, she gripped the top of the arch entrance and swung her legs over the bush, but not being careful enough, Sakura scraped the back of her knee, but decided to ignore the stinging that now cascaded through her entire leg.

"This is all too easy," Sakura wondered out loud, stepping forwards cautiously. "Hello?"

Her voice echoed throughout the cave, as if lighting the place up with her presence. Shaking her head, Sakura concentrated on her chakra flow, and breathed in loudly, letting the chakra fill her stomach. She made a couple of quick seals, and opened her mouth.

"_Katon! Ryuuka no Jutsu!_" Sakura shouted, and the ball of fire escaped from her lips. Luckily, the plants that grew on the ceiling of the wall caught fire, and the room was brightly lit with the fire. Sakura squinted slightly, her eyes adjusting to the sudden light. She watched the flame hover above her for a moment, as if dancing to no music. Still with uncertainty, Sakura stepped forwards slowly, watching the cave and listening to any sound that wasn't made by her.

When the fire lit, Sakura didn't see the contents of the strange cave, but looking around now, she saw the bones that littered the floor thickly, and the weapons that hung from the plants on the ceiling. She halted to examine an odd looking knife. It had a rounded edge, and seemed very dull to the untrained eyes. Sakura had no experience with weapons, except kunais maybe, so she couldn't tell whether it was really dull or not. Her eyes traveled towards the handle, which had markings she couldn't decipher. They looked like letters, but certainly not Japanese… English maybe? She got annoyed trying to decipher what those letters meant, and decided she would take it with her.

_I'll show it to Tenten, _Sakura thought, nodding to herself.

Sakura reached out to grab the handle, but her hand never touched the leather surface. A hand gripped her wrist tightly, and a deep voice whispered into her ear.

"Don't touch that." It hissed. Sakura didn't move a muscle, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and her breathing was calm and slow, yet her heart beat was getting faster with every breath.

"Who are you?" She asked, a tad of threat in her voice. She knew it was the voice of a man, for never met a woman with a voice that deep. The man replied with a soft chuckle.

"You should know," he said, his mouth so close to her ear, she even felt his lip brush her ear. "You were sent here to find _him_." Suddenly, Sakura had the urge to turn around, and she didn't hesitate to do so.

She grabbed the arm that was being held with her hand, and jerked it hard, surprising her opponent and making him let go. Then, stepping backwards and falling into the man's chest, Sakura pushed him harshly against the wall of the cave, making it vibrate and echo. And turning around quickly, her lower arm landed against his neck, where she finally saw him.

Even though a cloth was covering half the man's face, and only his hair and eyes were visible, that was all she needed to see. The black messy hair and dark midnight eyes that would capture any maiden's heart, as it happened with her. She slid three fingers behind the cloth, her fingers brushing his lips, and ripped it off, making the man gasp.

She could feel his eyes burning into hers, but she only glared at him coldly.

"You." She whispered, her arm pressing harder against Sasuke's neck. "**_You_**."

"Yeah, me." Sasuke raised a brow. "What about it?" He looked unflustered by Sakura's angered expression, and only sighed when she said nothing. Her glare was cold and mad, and as he looked at her closer, he had realized… she's changed. Her hair was short and messy, and her green eyes, that used to shine brighter than the sun ten years ago, were dark and hollow. Even the dancing fire around them couldn't help the blackness that invaded in her gaze.

"But…" He heard Sakura say as his mind wondered else wear, and even though her arm was pressing against his neck, his air passage wasn't blocked. "You're dead." Sasuke looked at her bewildered expression.

"I was." He replied softly, pushing her arm away as her grip slackened.

"Where were you?" Sakura didn't wait for his reply, and was glancing around wildly, as if something was going to jump out and attack her.

"I--," Sasuke felt his head snap back as Sakura's knuckles met his jaw in a fierce punch. He stumbled backwards, his back hitting the rocky wall behind him.

"Where the hell were you?!" Sakura screamed, her eyes filling up with tears he had seen so many times before. He watched her grab her hair, before her hands slid her face.

"A mission." Sasuke replied uncertainly, wiping away the blood that had poured out of his mouth and onto his chin with the back of his hand.

" A-a mission?" Sakura's hands slid down her face until they revealed her eyes, and her tone was almost hysterical. "All these years… you were on a mission? You _played dead?_"

"Well, it wasn't exactly me who died," Sasuke chuckled, a hint of pride in his voice. "It was Itachi."

"Itachi? But you don't look alike at all!"

"Gave him a haircut, ruined his face with a knife so it was unrecognizable, you know." Sakura flinched at the thought; the mental image of Itachi's body lying in a coffin that was supposed to be Sasuke's made her gag. Sakura turned around, letting go of her face. Instead, she started cracking her knuckles where they punched Sasuke about two minutes ago. It gave her satisfaction, but not as much satisfaction she felt when she kicked Naruto in the crotch, but she'll get to that.

"So all these years, you were on a mission?" Sakura asked calmly, surprising with Sasuke with her sudden change of tone, not to mention that she was crying a second ago. But her eyes were completely dry.

"Yea--?"

"And all these years you had me worrying about your dead brother?"

"Yeah." He had only just got the question. Apparently, Sasuke was a bit slower than he used to be ten years ago. It probably happens with age. "No!"

"Whatever." Sakura turned on her heels and started towards the cave entrance, but before climbing over the thorn bush, she stopped. "Come on. I'm supposed to get you back to Konoha. Unless you want to stay here in this dump, fine by me. If not, follow me." Grabbing the arch entrance, she swung her legs over and was out of sight. Sasuke watched for a moment, digesting her words, before following after her.

When he got out of the thorns and brambles before the entrance, Sakura saw what had changed about him. His ribs were showing through the black t-shirt he was wearing, followed by the same shorts he wore ten years ago. But, his developed muscles were not abandoned.

"Did you have anything to eat?" Sakura asked, raising a brow in question.

"Nothing for the past week." Sakura sighed. He was never well prepared. Once again, turned her back to him (something he had never seen before), and started into the forest, Sasuke at her heels.

For the whole journey back, neither of them spoke, and both their eyes were staring straight ahead, as if fixated. Once back in Konoha, Sakura took a well hidden short cut to Tsunade's office, through dark alleys and on top of houses that weren't even close to being close to the main street. Sasuke respected that.

Sakura entered the building confidently, and walked down the hallway, but was pushed against the door that led to the Hokage's office, and discovered Sasuke's face so close to hers, that their noses almost brushed. Dried blood was sticking to his skin, and his dark eyes were as cold as ever.

"What is this?" He growled, fastening a grip on Sakura's shirt, his fist pressing her harder against the wooden door. But Sakura only pushed her head to the side, painting a disgusted expression on her face.

"It's a door." She sneered, grabbing his wrist and pushing back with equal strength, so she had enough space for her nose to fit in without bumping into his. Her green eyes were as icy as his.

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what _do_ you mean?"

Sasuke sighed, lowering his head to his chest, and tightening his grip on Sakura's shirt. He looked up into her eyes, seeing his identical reflection in their hollow depths.

"Stop being… so…" Sakura cocked her head in question, keeping her expression quite blank now. "Me."

"No, Sasuke," She said in a colorless voice. Sasuke's eyes widened. It was the first time she said his name since their last first meeting, and he missed the –kun suffix in his name. "Stop being so like _me_." The pink-haired girl grabbed his shoulder and pushed back, slipping out of his reach before he could catch her again. Sakura gave him a long, hard glare; her eyes did not loose the sudden strength they obtained. Then, once again turning her back to him, she opened the wooden door and stepped into the office.

"Tsunade." She said firmly. "He's alive."

* * *

**N/A: **Strange chapter… don't worry, there will be SasuSaku moments in this thing… wait for the next chapter… yesss… ahahah!!! Anyways. Hope you enjoyed it! R & R PWEASE! 


	5. The Surprise

**WHATEVER.**

**The Surprise.**

Sasuke slammed the door behind him, waking up Tsunade, who was sleeping deeply, obviously, drool spilling out of her mouth and flowing down her chin. The Hokage jerked her head, and smacked her lips sleepily.

"Whozzer?" She muttered, rubbing her eyes with her fists childishly. "Wuzgoinon?"

Finally, when her eyes adjusted, all she saw was two mad expressions, wiggling extremely, and out of focus. Blinking rapidly, the Godaime smiled sheepishly.

"Sakura! Sasuke!" Wait… what? She shook her head with confusion. "Sasuke?"

She heard him sigh. "Yeah…"

Suddenly, sharp knuckles met her cheek in a harsh punch, and she awoke completely. Her head snapped back (just like Sasuke's with his first punch in the face), and she fell back in her chair, which had previously fallen out that same window, which was still not replaced, but taped with duck tape, making it look strangely ugly.

"Wake up, you lazy idiot!" Sakura's voice was angered, and she had already lost her self control after Sasuke's pushing her against the door. Oh, that Haruno!

_She'll get some…_ Tsunade thought threateningly, staring coldly at the pink-haired girl who was leaning with her hands against the desk, which had mountains of unfinished paper work mounted on it. Sakura's knuckles were red and swollen; she had obviously, either punched a wall, or punched Sasuke.

_Probably Sasuke,_ Tsunade sighed. Blood had started to fill up her mouth, and she spat it angrily at Sakura, who ducked. The blood-saliva mix flew right at Sasuke, who had developed a Kleenex out of thin air, and trying to rub off the blood that he drooled after _he_ got punched, but noticing the speeding spit, he grabbed another Kleenex that was sticking out of a box, which had somehow appeared out of nowhere, and caught Tsunade's blood in it, then popped it into the garbage bin with a swift throw.

"Don't spit blood at me," He growled, still cleaning his own blood from his chin. Sakura ignored him completely, and was standing barefoot as if nothing happened.

"I wouldn't have if _someone_ didn't punch me while I was waking up," The Fifth replied, glaring into Sakura's hollow eyes.

"I wouldn't have punched you if you woke up a little faster," Sakura hissed lowly, slapping a fist against the desk. Both Sasuke and Tsunade winced. They had** never** seen Sakura this angry. After a moment of silence, Tsunade cleared her throat and Sasuke went back to scrubbing his face, while Sakura still watched the Hokage with an annoyed expression.

"Well, _hem_, anyways," Tsunade muttered softly, before intertwining her fingers as usual, and propping her chin on them. "Welcome back, Sasuke." She said in a bored voice, rolling her eyes at Sakura; the medic-nin was still as angry as ever.

"Did you know where he was?" Sakura demanded at once, this time stomping her foot impatiently. When Tsunade didn't answer, the kunoichi leaned in, grabbing the Hokage by the shirt and lifting her from the chair effortlessly. "Did you?" Behind her, she heard Sasuke shuffle softly, and her consciousness screamed in triumphant, though she kept her expression quite blank.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes to the point where you couldn't see them, but somehow did not close them (odd XD). She sighed softly, and stood up to her feet, which actually made Sakura look up at her, she wasn't a slight and short woman, really. Vice versa actually.

"Kindly let go of me please, Sakura," She muttered, dusting her own shoulders. Sakura obeyed, and stepped backwards to get a better look of the Godaime, but bumped into Sasuke, who was caught unawares, stumbled farther back and bumped his spine on the door knob. Grunting at the contact of the metal with his back, Sasuke pushed away from the door, rubbing the spot that got hit.

"Stop trying to kill me!" He snarled, letting go of his back, and now cracking his stiff neck bones. "I'm not a fricking doll that you can push around!" Sakura then turned around, and faced him, her expression a kind of shut-up-already-or-I-really-will-kill-you look.

"Are you sure you're not a dog?" She said as a matter-of-factly, the sentence more of a statement, than a question. "Cause you whine just like one." Sasuke threw her a nasty look, and stepped forwards, reaching for a kunai in _her_ holster, but she already grabbed one, and was spinning it on her finger, the other hand on her hip.

"Don't even _think_ about it," She said, her eyes narrowing slightly, watching the man before him with utmost suspicion.

"Fine," He muttered, ignoring the growing pain in his stomach. He felt like throwing up from hunger, but that wouldn't help, now, would it? It would just make him hungrier. Anyways, he had nothing to barf up anyways, for he hadn't eaten for the last week.

"Have you eaten anything, Uchiha?" Tsunade's voice snapped them both back to reality, because they both very into the staring contest. Yes, a contest, that's what it was. Since neither of them were blinking, anyways. "Anything at all?"

"Nothing for the past week," He murmured, rubbing his stomach. Tsunade blinked.

"Well, lets get to business then," She replied, pulling on a false smile. "Now. Where will you be living?"

"The Uchiha Resident, of course," Sasuke replied, slightly confused.

"Yeah… not possible." Tsunade said, shaking her head, but Sasuke only cocked an eyebrow. "The Uchiha Resident doesn't exist anymore, you see? Unless you count the grass that had grown over it, but nothing more." The Hokage shrugged.

"W-what?" Sasuke gaped. His eye twitched unconsciously.

"The Uchiha Resident has been destroyed after you died," Sakura explained monotonously, examining a finger nail out of girly habit. Tsunade nodded in response, raising both eyebrows. But Sasuke already got over it. He never liked the big house anyways, a bit lonely, he had to say.

"But, I didn't die," he replied uncertainly.

"Who the hell would care?" Sakura scorned. "You're dead. Your fangirls dropped you once they found out. I told you, no-one cared when you died."

Sasuke balled his hands into fists, gathering all the self control her still had left not to pound that girl into a bloody pulp.

"Oh, yeah?" He whispered hoarsely, clutching his fists tighter, his knuckles turning white, and his finger nails abusing the skin on his palms. "Weren't _you_ the one who cried for a week straight after my funeral? Did _you_ care?" But Sakura only shrugged, putting on an annoyed expression, but resisting the urge to bit her lower lip, he could see.

"Hn," She copied him, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "That was years ago. I put my past behind me." She met his gaze unwaveringly, but he detected a hint of the Sakura he knew. He could see the sorrow that he caused her after 'dying', and the happiness that they had shared together. But he could not see the thing he wanted to see. Love. Sasuke almost opened his mouth to speak, but turned towards the Hokage, his face looking like he was slapped on the face.

"So," He said. "Where will I be living?"

"Sakura's." Tsunade replied, smiling. But that smile vanished when two fists made the desk jump into the air, taking the chair and Tsunade with them.

"**_What?!_**" Their voices echoed throughout the building. Sakura's expression was insane, while Sasuke's was just frightened, and Tsunade decided not to repeat herself.

"Why not Naruto's?" Sakura asked, now looking very close to tears. "Why me?" Sasuke just nodded, his fist still sitting upon the Godaime's desk.

"Have you forgotten?" Tsunade asked matter-of-factly. "Hinata is living with Naruto now. As far as I'm concerned, they're engaged."

"_When?_" Once again, their voices were synchronized, but didn't shake the building at its roots.

"Today, I hear. The wedding plans are to be decided, but Hinata is very excited."

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a look of total devastation, thinking the other is Naruto, but realizing that quickly, the looks changed to looks of anger, and they turned away from each other; Tsunade found this quite amusing. Sakura racked her mind savagely, trying to find an answer to this situation, but now being able to, she sighed.

"Fine," She muttered, defeated. Sasuke just turned on his heels, and stormed out the door. Seconds later, they heard the sound of screeching birds, thousands of them, and then a wall breaking in half, a swoosh, a soft spring breeze descended through the open door, accompanied by the sound of people's screams.

"A little sensitive, isn't he?" Cooed Tsunade, a look of fear on her face. Sakura threw her a nasty glare, and stormed out of the office, and almost fell through a big hole in the floor, and the wall was torn open. Sasuke was hanging from the ceiling which had not been damaged, a satisfied expression coloring his face, and he was gazing out the forced window, seemingly smiling at the still running and shrieking human beings below.

Sakura cleared her throat, but Sasuke didn't turn his head, but only said:

"This place needs to redecorate." Sakura smirked, rolling her eyes at him.

"Com'n." She said shortly, leaping across the hole in the floor, and flying right through the wall. She landed swiftly on her feet, still barefoot to that matter. Seconds later, Sasuke landed right beside her, his shoulder brushing her own. She ignored the strange feeling that slipped through her veins, and her blood seemed to freeze and boil at that slight touch. She tried to keep her face quite blank, and without a word, she walked forwards, stepping slowly, Sasuke still at her side.

Once on the main street, Sakura felt the strange emotion seize, and relief flooded her. As they walked, many heads were turned to look at them. Not really _them_, more like, _him_. And seconds later, cries of 'Sasuke-kun!' exploded in the air, and he was surrounded by a mob of ex-fangirls-now-back-to-being-fangirls. Sakura continued walking, her chin was high, and her eyes were still as hollow and dull as always.

"Sakura!" the hiss was near her ear. She suppressed a shudder.

"Got out, now did you?" She said loudly.

"Yes, now _don't scream_." She turned to look at him, but miscalculated the space between them, and felt their noses touch, and their lips brush. Sakura gasped softly, but looked into Sasuke's onyx eyes. She watched them glance around, and heard him mutter something. She was able to breathe in before their lips collided, and Sakura froze on the spot. Her eyes were unfocused, and her heart was thumping loudly in her chest, she was surprised Sasuke didn't hear it. But, before she could enjoy the feeling of his lips to her satisfaction, they broke apart, and the sudden painful coldness met her lips.

"Huh?" She sounded a like a small child, who had just been asked a complicated question.

"Come on." Sasuke's voice was like music to her ears. "Let's go." She felt his strong hand wrap around her wrist, and he pulled her harshly. She tripped and staggered in surprise. Shooting her surroundings a quick glance, and caught sight of some random girls watching her with wide eyes, their mouths open; some had fainted, or were just lying on the floor unconscious. But as she was being led by the man who had just kissed her in public and nothing really mattered anymore. Sakura was still more surprised that Sasuke wasn't dragging her, because she felt her knees buckle everytime she tripped, and it took a couple of steps to regain her balance every time.

Sasuke led her to a dark alley, where he stopped, panting slightly, looking back once in a while. Sakura just stared at the floor, her eyes wide and her heart still beating violently against her chest.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke muttered, making Sakura look up, her heart skipping a wild beat.

"W-what?" She stammered, jerking her head up to meet his eyes.

"For…" He seemed to have a hard time voicing the words. "…kissing you." Oh, yeah. Right. He kissed her. She took her hand and cracked her knuckles with the other. The sickening sound echoed throughout the alley, making Sasuke flinch. She stepped forward, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and punched his jaw. The painful contact made her knuckles throb blindingly as a loud _crack_ indicated a broken wrist, but she ignored it, letting her arms hang lifelessly at her sides.

"You **_bastard_**!" She yelled, flaring up at once. "Why the **hell** did you kiss me in the first place?!" Sasuke met her glare head on, his black eyes turning a blood red. He didn't do anything. The Sharingan was automatic, Sakura might have remembered that. But, she took it as a threatening challenge to battle.

"I had to!" Sasuke shouted back, his red eyes glistening angrily. "Did you see all those fangirls circling and following us?! They were like vultures!" He shook his head. "You liked it anyways." He muttered, looking at her mockingly.

Sakura gasped at his tone. "**_You_**…" She stepped forward, but the Uchiha didn't move a muscle. "**_You_**… son of a--!" She halted in mid-sentence, noticing something at the alley entrance. "Bitch." Sasuke shot a glare of deepest loathing before turning his attention towards the alley entrance. There, before them, stood Ino, her long hair shifting as she moved from one leg to another, watching them with confusion and surprise.

"So," She muttered softly, blowing a bubble out of them gum she was chewing. "He came back, huh?" Sakura stared at her.

"You_ knew_?" She asked loudly, at the same time turning to look at Sasuke. "You told **_her_**—you told **_everyone_** and you never told **_me_**?!" But Sasuke only looked insulted, though he was putting on a 'sexy' smirk, the one he used to charm Sakura into his arms, that same smirk—

"You **_bastard_**!" Once again, she punched him, with her uninjured hand, though it didn't have as much power in it, she wasn't a lefty. "Don't you smirk at me." She growled threateningly.

"Why don't you punch me with both hands?" Sasuke asked, rubbing the spot that had greatly abused by Sakura's fists. He jerked his head to one side, and let out a satisfied groan; his neck bones cracked sickeningly, making Sakura gag, while Ino just stood there, chewing her gum still.

"I would," Sakura muttered, rubbing her wrist and wincing at the painful contact. "I broke my wrist… your jaw's too damn strong, Uchiha!" She spat, turning on her heels and storming past Ino who was still standing there, looking bored.

Sasuke sighed, watching Sakura disappear into the crowd. In the distance, he heard echoes of her sweet voice. Wait a minute…

_Sweet…?_ No. He shook his head.

"Shikamaru! Let go of Ino, she's your wife, for Kami's sake!"

"Oi." Sasuke muttered, hanging his head.

"So, you finally came back, huh?" Ino asked indifferently.

"Ugh, whatever." Surely, as he strode past the blonde, he saw Shikamaru's long shadow stretching from him all the way to Ino's feet. Sasuke smiled nervously at him, before, too, disappearing into the crowd and blending in.

"She's too troublesome," Muttered Shikamaru as he let go of his wife with his shadow. "Why the hell did I propose?"

* * *

Sakura kicked the door open, maybe with a little too much force, almost knocking it off its hinges. She didn't care. That idiot…

"Arrgh!" She screamed, kneeling onto the floor and standing up quickly again. What the hell was he _thinking_? What the hell was _Tsunade_ thinking? She hated them all, hated them with all her heart… She stomped into the kitchen, swearing at a random pot that hung on the walls. Her wrist throbbed painfully, almost making her cry out again. No… she would hold it in until he came about… then he would get it. He will surely get it.

Sakura lifted her left hand over her broken wrist, and concentrated on her chakra flow. She led the flow towards her palm and soon enough, a light green glow ascended from her hand, making her wrist bathe in a cool, watery chakra which made her wrist bones mend with a soothing feeling sweeping all across her entire body. The young kunoichi sighed with relief, enjoying the feeling till the end. She sat upon the couch in her small living room, only now paying attention to her surroundings.

Her apartment was small and gloomy. The living room was a faded yellow color, and in the middle sat that small couch on which she was lounging upon. The couch was also a faded yellow, but with fat black polka dots, which matched the lingering gloominess ever so nicely. The bedroom was a bit bigger than the living room, which was strange… living room was supposed to be the biggest room in the apartment, but whatever. The bedroom was a bit more lit; the window was a bit bigger than in the living room. The bed was a queen size and had comfortable sheets and bedding, promising a good night's sleep, which never really came to her.

Her parents had died a while ago, and it hit her straight in the spot. Her mom wasn't an accomplished ninja, and her dad was quite famous in Konoha, and most of the villages, having preformed many 'services to the needy and helpless', as Tsunade would say while congratulating Mr. Haruno on another, finished and great mission.

The sleep never came to her because of all those nightmares, and she was never able to go to sleep. It kind of scared Sakura at first, but she got used to it.

Sakura heaved a heavy sigh, her mind wondering to another world… her eyes un focusing… At that exact moment, a soft knock on the door jerked Sakura back to reality.

_A soft knock?_ She thought, finding herself lying on the couch, feeling exhausted and still mending her broken wrist. It felt better, she knew that, but it was very far from being completely healed. _That is so unlike Sasuke…_ She glanced at the door, catching its very frequent yet almost unnoticeable movement. Obviously, Sasuke had been banging.

"Sakura!" He called from behind the wooden door. "Open up!"

"It's open, Sasuke!" She replied, hardly trying to conceal the bitterness in her voice. Sakura watched him open the door slowly and glance around suspiciously. He then looked right at Sakura, and their eyes met for a bit, before Sasuke's gaze faltered and he pulled his whole body into the unwelcoming sitting room.

"Shut the door behind you, please." Sakura muttered, heaving herself off the couch with a sigh, with slight difficulty, Sasuke noticed as he closed the door to a satisfying click, for she wasn't able to use her hands. Both were preoccupied with a task, one being broken, the other mending it.

"How long will it take?" Sasuke asked, stepping uncomfortably into the gloomy room, at the same time pointing towards the greenish chakra that spilled over Sakura's wrist.

"Couple of hours," She muttered, walking into the kitchen without a reason, really. "It usually takes four weeks to heal it in a cast, and the chakra healing process speeds up the work to about ten times faster, so I'd say… about three hours."

"Oh." That was an unusual reply. Now that you think about it, that was an unusual question. Why would Sasuke care…? "I'm just hungry, that's all." Sakura looked over her shoulder; he was thinner than before, if it was possible.

"I never cooked a day in my life, Sasuke," Sakura muttered, watching the emerald chakra with hollow eyes. "You can go out or—…"

"Would you like to come with me?" She stared at him with astonishment, her once bright green eyes reflected the chakra that was now circling her wrist like a tiny snake, jerking, wanting to attack, but unable to touch the flesh that was desired the most. She met his dark, obsidian eyes for a moment. Sakura opened her mouth, but then tried to close it, stopping about half way through. She felt it… she had weakened under his well-known spell.

"Sure," Sakura said slowly, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Sure. Why don't we go--…" But he was already out the door, leaving it wide open. She heard his distant footsteps echoing in the crude, stone hall. "Right." She muttered to herself, and pulling her healing hand away from her wrist. In truth, it had healed in ten minutes. In truth, Sakura liked the cooling feeling of the snake-like chakra surrounding a part of her body, concealing her skin. In truth, Sakura didn't want it… she didn't _want_ to love him.

**

* * *

**

**N/A:** Yay! Another chapter updated! Sorry to my fellow readers that it took so long! I'm sick… sniffle anyways… YAY! Enjoy! Read & Review no jutsu!


	6. The Bet

** WHATEVER.**

**The Bet.**

**Yah… sorry this too so long… I was kinda… _off…_ ya know? I have been off for a _long time…_ ne? Oh, and I had just watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre… Ugh… The most disgusting thing _ever!_ Don't _ever_ watch it, got me? NEVER WATCH THE FREAKING THING! ITS TOO DAMN FREAKIN'… scary. And it's not a happy ending. Just like the Wicker Man… And freaking Emily Rose… and the Grudge. Oh, no. THE MEMORIES!!!! AHHH!! No, I'm good. I just won't sleep tonight... hahaha…**

* * *

When Sakura stepped out into the cool, spring evening she already found Sasuke surrounded by a sea of fangirls. She looked annoyed and just kept a blank expression, but she could see that he was scared out of his mind. Who wouldn't be? I mean, if you got millions and millions of rabid fangirls on your tail, I would be surprised if you weren't running for your life.

Sakura was surprised… at first. Sasuke had his arms crossed across his chest, and he held his chin high, his eyes were closed. A vein was popping at his temple, and his hands were clenching and unclenching. Sakura was surprised that the Uchiha didn't fry them all to Hell when they got near him. _That_'s why she was surprised.

The accomplished medic-nin sighed loudly, and brushed a pink lock out of her eyes. With a deep inhale, started towards the messy crowd. In her mind, her inner self was laughing her head off, and rolling around on the floor of her brain. Sakura just rolled her eyes inwardly at her own childish behavior, and practically dove into the cluster of raging fangirls.

It was like wadding through a swamp – almost impossible. The girls were clinging, squealing, screaming, pushing, pulling and all of them were trying to get to the last Uchiha. Sakura snorted – and she was one of them.

"_Sasuke-kun!_" They screeched, almost in unison and all of them – at once – jumped onto the poor Uchiha, who was already getting ready to burn them all to Hell. Why didn't he do it before… stupid bastard.

"Get away! Get away, you stupid girls…" His voice faded into the background of shrieking and yelling and something that sounded suspiciously like 'Oh, my God! HE SPOKE!'.

After trying to get through the crowd nicely, Sakura sighed and decided to do it the hard way. She breathed in quickly, and leaped into the air, then hastily landed on top of a girl's head. She squeaked, and flapped her arms around, while Sakura stepped onto the head of the girl _ahead_ her. That might have actually worked, if the girls hadn't spent too much time of their hair – and made as slippery as ice. Sakura grunted as she nearly slipped off a head, but swiftly regained her balance and continued on her journey.

"Oh, my GOD! GET OFF ME!" Some girl suddenly screamed out just as the pink-haired medic tried to jump off her head, and started shaking violently – causing Sakura to fall off her head, and landed on something particularly soft. Was it another girl? If was, then chaos wouldn't have broken off its leash.

Silence. The crickets chirped happily, birds sung sweetly, Hell froze over, Heaven fell from the sky, and pigs magically grew wings and learned to fly. Sakura blinked her eyes, and only saw darkness, accompanied with a mess of hair, and the overwhelming stench of perfume. She wanted to choke from the stink – its not that she didn't like sweet smells, its just that… well, when they are all mixed up and thrown at you, you get kind of nauseous. That's how Sakura felt – nauseous.

Something beneath her grunted, but she just ignored it. She knew who it was… _That goddamn bastard_. She couldn't resist the urge to gag, and she clasped a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't vomit on every…thing… including herself. The fangirls cried out in disgust and fanned out, giving Sakura room to stand up, and _breathe._

"Man, you guys stink!" She pointed out loudly, waving a hand in front of her face, desperately trying to get fresh air. Man, they really did stink. Something grunted again, and Sakura turned around this, her expression murderous. She cold gaze was fixed on the man lying on the ground, blinking his dark eyes hastily, and chocking at the same time. Man… those chicks really did stink, ne?

Sasuke gasped loudly, and pulled himself into a sitting position, only to feel a very unwelcoming and deathly aura surround him. Great! That's _just_ what he needed right now – a good beating (sense the sarcasm?)! What the hell is wrong with these people?! Back in Konoha for less than a day, and already he is going to get beaten to a bloody pulp… Just… _great_.

Before Sasuke could even get to his feet, something grabbed his shirt and pulled him – very violently, mind that. The Uchiha practically tripped over his own feet as Sakura pulled him out of the crowd. He could her growling and snarling at some random fangirls who tried to get in her way, and they immediate fearful squealing that follow shortly after a vulgar curse.

"Sasuke-kun!" One fangirl screamed out as she jumped on top of him, but before she could even get close to him, Sasuke was jerked away – _very_ violently – by none other than Haruno Sakura, who was enraged beyond repair. The hand that was holding onto Sasuke's shirt was ripping the material without mercy, and even he could see she was on the verge of exploding. That's not a very good mood… no, not good at all.

Sakura wanted to make them hurt… inflict pain… and just make them all go to Hell. Why did they have to be so damn _annoying?!_ Could they just see that the damn Uchiha wasn't interested… the damn Uchiha… Why wasn't _he_ doing anything about his fan club? Ohh… he will get a _piece of her mind!_ Once they get out of the mob of slithering snakes that transformed into twittering _females_ and wouldn't off get Sakura _tail!_ Freaking assholes! She will show _them_ what the world is like… ooh… they will feel PAIN!

"ALRIGHT!" She finally bellowed, making a dragged-along-Sasuke sigh. Took her long enough. "BACK OFF YOU BITCHES! WHY DON'T YOU DO US ALL A FAVOR AND GO TO FREAKING HELL?!"

Alright… he didn't expect that. He expected something like that… but not… that much. She must really be ticked off.

"AND YOU! YOU BASTARD!" Once again, Sasuke was being jerked around like there was no tomorrow. He just sighed. Man, was he used to this. For some reason, Sakura reminded him a bit of Orochimaru – that nasty pedophile. Sasuke looked at her with as much fake-fear as he could muster, when clearly… he was bored. Sakura eyed him with such loathing filling her hollow eyes that Sasuke was sure it was either going to be a swearfest or waterworks. Well, more like swearfest because waterworks with _this_ Sakura was just a bit… off the line. After a moment of glaring, Sasuke was proved right. "You sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, ignorant, bitchy, cocky, selfish, self-centered, idiotic, pedophilic—"

Wait, what?

"Whoa, whoa!" Sasuke interrupted a vicious Sakura who was pouring all her hatred, annoyance and loathing of him into all those curses of vulgarity. "I understand the firsts ninety-nine swears but pedophilic? Isn't that going a bit too far?"

Sakura stared at him for a second or so before replying. "No."

Sasuke couldn't help but hang his head in defeat. "This is about Orochimaru, isn't it?"

"You got that right, bastard." He closed his eyes with a groan of utter unhappiness and waved his hand.

"Alright, continue."

"No, you ruined the moment." The Uchiha was definitely surprised. He really thought that she would continue, but it seemed that Sakura thought otherwise. Instead, she let go of his shirt – which had several holes in it now – and started to walk away. Sasuke blinked. And blinked again. And then, his vision was consumed by the mob… again. They tackled him to the ground, giggling loudly and crushing him underneath their weight.

Mind, they were all skinny – somehow – but a lot of skinny girls jumping on ya isn't going to help. A person jumping on ya isn't too fun, now is it? No matter their size and weight. Damn girls. And Sasuke could deal with _one_, but _millions and millions_ was a bit out of his league. Just when he thought he was done for, a muffled voice suddenly made the _females_ jump off him, and scatter away.

"Why don't you just go away?" Sakura muttered as she walked over to Sasuke and helped him (read: grabbed him by the back of his shirt and unceremoniously put him back to his feet).

"No!" A childish voice cut in as Sakura tried to dust off Sasuke's hair – an unusual gesture. She turned towards the source with a tired expression.

"Yes," Sakura insisted.

"Not without our Sasuke-kun!" The voice's source was nothing but a ten-year-old girl, who was glaring up at the pink-haired kunoichi with determination in her eyes. The medic-nin eyed her, before turning back to the Uchiha, who was more exhausted-looking than an old rag. His eyes were on the verge of closing completely, and were blood-shot and droopy. His hair was a mess, and a sparkling white hair was nestled somewhere in between the mess of hair – which was long now, she had just noticed. She was almost positive he was getting wrinkles, or maybe it was the way his face was scrunched up in fatigueness.

"You wanna go with 'em?" The pink-haired woman nodded towards the ten-year-old girl.

"No." He responded simply, shaking his head – yawning. Sakura couldn't help but smirk – the closest she ever came to a smile – damn; Sasuke is even calm in a situation with rabid fangirls, and gets time to yawn? How… lazy-ass-like.

"Okay, so. Listen up!" Sakura turned to the waiting fangirls, and they immediately perked up – wide-eyed and twitching. "Sasuke-kun doesn't want to go away with you, so why don't you just leave him alone?"

"Because he's our Sasuke-kun!" Exclaimed the little ten-year-old, making Sakura wonder in confusion. _How did a ten-year-old become Sasuke's fangirl? Ah, the world never seizes to amaze me. Especially the world that revolves around that damn Uchiha._

"First of all, I'm _not_ 'your Sasuke'," Okay… it was the _last straw._ He really wanted these… _monsters_ off his tail so he could have a normal and peaceful life until his plan starts to take action. And that will take a while… He glanced at Sakura who looked slightly shocked at his sudden comment, though it wasn't _that_ sudden. She should have seen it coming. "Second of all, go curl up in a corner and _die_. _Please._"

"Oh, my GOD! Sasuke-kun wants us dead!" The ten-year-old girl screamed, joy dripping from her every word. "Let's go kill ourselves, ne?!"

Yeah. You wish.

Yes. He did wish.

He sighed when the fangirls didn't react. They just stood there, smiles plastered on their faces, fidgeting a _lot_ – almost violently, as their eyes developed a sort of predatory look in them. That sort of scared him. He didn't like that look… and mind, they all had the exact same look in their eyes. _All of them_.

He his eyebrows twitched involuntarily when Sakura turned to him, looking at him with an expression worthy of Shikamaru.

"Nice,"

"Thanks," He muttered, not bothering to look at his pink-haired… companion.

"What do we do now?" She questioned casually, checking a nail smugly.

"How about we…"

"…run?"

"Ooh, yes."

"I agree."

"Let's go?"

"Right behind ya."

And they took off.

* * *

"So," Sakura muttered through a mouthful of ramen, slurping it down quickly as she continued. "What was this mission of yours, hmm?"

They were at Ichiraku Ramen – the only ramen stand in town, mind. The daughter of the owner – Teuchi – Ayame came up to the counter, rubbing a rather round stomach with a happy smile.

"Everything alright?" She asked sweetly, still grinning from ear to ear. She seemed… extremely happy. A bit _too_ happy, in Sakura's opinion. And the weirdest thing was that her grin was directed _at_ her, which was a bit… frightening. When Sakura nodded hesitantly, she widened her smile even more once she turned to Sasuke, who just shot her a glare. Ayame got the point after that – or so it seemed. Her smile faltered a little, and she just nodded at the dark-haired man, who didn't even bother to do the same in return.

"Welcome back, Sasuke-kun." Ayame muttered after a short while of glaring at her costumer, and with a swish of her long, auburn hair – she stomped into the kitchen.

Sakura turned to the Uchiha slowly, a question rotating in her mind. _Since when did he have a grudge against Ayame-chan?_ She thought, watching Sasuke suck in his ramen rather viciously. Or maybe he was just angry because she interrupted his meal. Sakura's gaze traveled towards the stack of bowls that could never even _rival_ with Naruto's usual amount – read: he ate _much_ more than Naruto _ever_ could.

She blinked as Sasuke added another bowl to the tower of colorful bowls, making it wobble rather dangerously.

"Are you really that hungry?" She asked, trying to keep the surprise hidden somewhere in the deepest, darkest corners of her mind.

Sasuke just muttered something under his breath before answering. "You try not eating for a week. We'll see how much _you_ eat." Sakura narrowed her already darkened eyes.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Do you want it to be?" Both of their stares were equal, and Sakura raised her chin slightly to gain superiority.

"_May_-be!"

"Alright," The man beside her shrugged. "What are we betting?"

"_Our lives!_" Her eyes widened greatly, a sudden light burst about Sakura, and her fingers twitched giving her a slightly maniacal appearance. She cackled like a lunatic, rising slightly out of her seat. Sasuke just blinked at her sudden out burst, and turned towards the counter.

"Ayame," He said softly, an air of authority surrounding the Uchiha.

"Sorry," She muttered, putting away the flashlight she had been holding above Sakura's head. She grinned sheepishly, and rubbed the back of her head, before walking back to the kitchen.

Sakura was still twitching out of her own will, glaring with her cold eyes at the obsidian-eyed man. "Damn you," She hissed threateningly, her hand already moving towards her kunai holster.

"What are we betting?" Sasuke repeated, inquiring carelessly the question that had already been asked.

The Haruno looked thoughtful for a moment, and tapped a finger against her chin, her back hunched over in thought. After a quick think-over, her back straightened, and she looked over at Sasuke, a mischievous expression painted on her face. She had a great idea.

"You know…" She started, getting up from her seat, and laying some money on the counter to pay for her _one_ bowl of ramen. "We never found out _what_ was under Kakashi's mask…"

The Uchiha smirked. "You're suggesting that the person who loses gets Kakashi to pull off his mask?"

"Exactly."

"Brilliant."

"Thank you."

"I just think that you ought to know that you're going to have to… _persuade him._" Sakura cringed.

"Are you saying that if I lose, I have to _seduce_ him into taking off his mask?"

Sasuke couldn't help a soft chuckle. "You're going to have to _kiss _him somehow, ne?"

The pink-head pursed her lips. "Fine," Her eyes darted towards the counter for a moment, before she turned on her heels, and started off slowly, throwing a 'Good luck' over her shoulder.

He smirked his ass off. She wouldn't stand a chance… Not eating for a week. Man, this will be good. Something twinkled in his onyx eyes, but that something quickly disappeared when Sasuke turned back to the counter… his face fell immediately. The mountain of ramen bowls was wobbling _very_ dangerously now, and behind it stood a very evil looking Ayame – who was rubbing her hands in a very anxious gesture, while she muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Gimme the money, gimme the money…' – and a very satisfied looking Teuchi.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san, for this _absolutely lovely_, selfless donation to the Ichiraku Ramen stand…" The old man was practically crying. "Thank you so much…"

But Sasuke only growled at the two, and threw his wallet at them. Ayame caught it, a greedy expression on her face, and she nearly cackled when she opened it. "Money… glorious money…"

The Uchiha was already sprinting down the street, snarling at the passers-by who greeted him of his return.

"DAMN, YOU HARUNO!"

* * *

Sakura kept her head high as she walked down the street, but she couldn't help the slight smirk that graced her pale lips once she heard the echoing sounds of Sasuke's voice. The _genius_ – sense the sarcasm? – didn't even realize that he ate too much for him to actually pay for. Or so she thought…

"Haruno…" A deep voice growled behind her, and she could tell by the sound – the person was _not_ happy. But, Sakura didn't even turn around; she just kept walking, still smirking, by the way. The smirk was completely wiped off her face by the next words:

"You bitch."

At that, she flared up… rather violently and abusively towards the source of the voice. Sakura whirled around, and immediately clenched her fist, and shot towards the face of the source. The source – rather strangely – didn't even react when the fist stopped a mere inch away from his nose. The source just smirked.

"I'm a _bitch_?" Sakura hissed, and the source nodded. The roseate-haired kunoichi lowered her hand to her side, and stood there for a moment, her eyes unfocused. After a couple of seconds, she looked back up at the source, who just happened to be Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke smirk got slightly cockier than before, when Sakura opened her mouth, but didn't speak. His eyes traveled towards her lips, which stood parted slightly, a bit wet from saliva. Sasuke resisted the urge to lick his own lips, and averted his gaze hastily, towards a… bar.

Sakura followed his gaze, and breathed in before closing her mouth.

"You know what?" She muttered, her words slightly slurred. The Uchiha tensed… this could not be good… "I need to get drunk."

The civilians nearby came to dead halts, their eyes wide. Sasuke watched them as they continued on their way, and the news spread quickly, and he got a bit of the gossip – thanks to his mad ninja skills and amazing eavesdropping abilities.

"The second one's gonna get drunk…" A man whispered quietly, and the woman he was talking to put a hand to her heart, looking faint.

"Oh, no!" She whispered back to the man, who looked equally scared. "We must tell Hokage-sama… she might be able to restraint her… remember what happened last time?"

The man nodded slowly, and glanced over to the Hokage Tower. "We must hurry," He replied urgently, and started towards the Hokage Tower where Tsunade was probably snoozing like there was no tomorrow.

"I haven't had a decent hangover in a _really_ long time!" Sakura said a bit _too_ loudly. Once again, the passers-by stopped, and started chattering anxiously – but were dutifully ignored by Sasuke… who had an _evil plan_ planning itself in his head.

He giggled evilly, rubbing his hands… _This will be fun…_ He thought maniacally, grinning like one crazed lunatic. Unfortunately, Sakura noticed.

"What are you giggling about, huh, little girl?" The Sharingan user snarled at her, but she had already grabbed a hold of his shirt, and was dragging him towards that very same bar they were both looking at a minute ago. "Let's go, little girl! I'll teach you the _meaning _of drunk…"

**Couple of Minutes Later…**

Empty sake bottles littered the table they were at – some fallen over, other still standing on their… bottoms. A very tired and annoyed looking Sasuke was sitting at the table, eyeing the bottles distastefully. Across from him sat a very drunken Sakura, hiccupping loudly. Her hollow eyes were half-closed, while her bubblegum hair was a bright mess on top of her head. Her cheeks were quite red now, and her head was lying on the table, a deep frown on her features.

"Sakura," Sasuke muttered, watching the pink hair on the table (the only part he could actually see). No answer. The Uchiha sighed loudly, and repeated. "Sakura."

There was an answer.

"Hic," Sakura coughed, sounding quite childish for the hiccup was a rather high pitched. Actually, Sasuke couldn't _believe_ Sakura was actually able to drink so much. He counted the bottles in his head. _Twenty-three…_ He glanced at his watch. _Ten minutes._

"Whoa…" He stared in awe at his be-drunken companion – and now roommate, thanks to Tsunade. "I will_ not_ be sleeping tonight."

"Hic," The medic-nin was a second Tsunade at this point. She raised her head, still scowling angrily, her hollow eyes suddenly shining. The raven-haired man looked a bit deeper into them, and resisted the urge to bang his head against the table. _Damn fluorescent lights…_ He thought, mad at the way they made this bar.

It was a nice place, with light yellow walls, and wooden tables. The benches were padded and soft, and very comfortable to sit on. The waitresses even brought little pillows which were flat, and Sasuke suspected those were for the drunken ones to lay their heads on the table. Very thoughtful in his opinion. The floors were also bamboo, which was easy to clean off. Apparently, many men and women came here, and usually ended up vomiting on the floor before they actually got home. Or spilling drinks on the said floor. Or both. Drunken human beings aren't usually perfect.

The windows were curtained with beautiful blinds. They were colored a dark green with designs of swimming salmons in a navy blue river. Other than the shouts and madman laughter – everything was quite decent. But, Sasuke grimaced. He didn't like it. Too happy (ahh, classic Sasuke-kun).

"Ne… Sasuke…" Sakura said lowly, her face deep and threatening. Her gaze was dangerous, but unfocused, completely ruining the effect. Her roseate hair was hanging over her eyes, but her scowl just deepened. "You're actually pretty hot…"

Yes. She was definitely drunk. Sasuke sighed heavily, and rolled his eyes in the direction of a woman, who managed to raise her hand and wave at him sluggishly. He nearly gagged at the sight. Seemingly so, he was the only one _not_ drunk – apart from the waitresses. There were no waiters, strangely. But the Uchiha had a shrewd idea of why that was.

Men tend to get more drunk than women, because _most_ women (read: not Sakura) have enough decency not to get drunk too often, and too quickly. Unlike Haruno here…

"Hic!"

Sasuke groaned. Great, he had to help her home.

* * *

**Hehehe! Did ya like it? Was it good? Bad? Horrible? Terrific? Should I continue? Please read and review no jutsu! Had pleasure writing!**

**Sorry it took so long. Once again, I apologize. But here it is! THE BET! What does Sasuke have in mind? What are his plan_s_! PLURAL! PLANS! PLURAL PLANS!**

**I shall wait for your ideas, and tell me what you think might happen next!**

**Oh, and also... sorry. I didn't feel like editing it, so forgive me for the all the grammer mistakes. I'm tired today... hmm...**


	7. The Plan

**WHATEVER.**

**Dealing with a Drunken Woman**

**So, hello! This is another chapter… Poor Sasuke-kun… he has to deal with a drunken Sakura. Man, that's just sad…**

* * *

"_Ne… Sasuke…" Sakura said lowly, her face deep and threatening. Her gaze was dangerous, but unfocused, completely ruining the effect. Her roseate hair was hanging over her eyes, but her scowl just deepened. "You're actually pretty hot…"_

_Yes. She was definitely drunk. Sasuke sighed heavily, and rolled his eyes in the direction of a woman, who managed to raise her hand and wave at him sluggishly. He nearly gagged at the sight. Seemingly so, he was the only one __not__ drunk – apart from the waitresses. There were no waiters, strangely. But the Uchiha had a shrewd idea of why that was._

_Men tend to get more drunk than women, because __most__ women (read: not Sakura) have enough decency not to get drunk too often, and too quickly. Unlike Haruno here…_

"_Hic!"_

_Sasuke groaned. Great, he had to help her home._

* * *

"Sakura…" Sasuke hissed at the madly smiling woman. The uncharacteristic grin was still plastered across her flushed face as she turned to him.

"Yessss… Sssasuke-kuuunnn…?" She drawled loudly, giggling quietly to herself. Sasuke resisted the sudden urge to grab one of the empty sake bottles and smash them against her head. His eye twitched involuntarily. He would never admit it, but he was scared shitless. If this girl was like Lee when he was drunk when she was drunk than he might as well be digging his own grave. Maybe he was. He just hoped that his usually perfectly correct calculations were not true. That's why he made _sure_ to think that he was not digging his own grave. Made him feel better.

"Alright, Sakura…" He muttered, standing up abruptly, and alerting the drunken pink-head. He walked over to her, and towered over her, trying to look intimidating. She just gazed at him stupidly, still grinning from ear to ear. "We're going home."

"Home?" She asked in a terrible high pitched voice which reminded the Uchiha of his fangirls. _Oh, great…_ He thought, slapping a hand over his forehead and drawing it over his face. _She's drunk AND she reminds me of my fangirls… what a woman._

Suddenly, Sasuke felt himself being pulled down. He landed on the cushioned benches, and to his surprise and horror, Sakura started to crawl onto his lap.

"Hey, sexy…" She purred seductively, a hand wrapping itself around his neck, while the other twirled his long, raven locks. Her dark emerald eyes glinted somewhat as she settled herself on Sasuke's lap – who watched her blankly, hands twitching. Even in the drunken state that she was in, Sakura never failed to annoy him, and strangely… arouse him. The only thing that was spoiling the moment was her foul breath which made the Uchiha cringe.

"Damn you, Haruno…" He hissed angrily, and pushed the pink-haired broad off him as he stood up abruptly. Embarrassingly enough, Sasuke felt heat making its way up his neck and face. He turned away from Sakura, who started giggling uncontrollably while pointing at a curtain. Sasuke sighed. She really was drunk.

"Look at – hic – that pretty – hic – fishy! Hehehe – hic – he – hic – pretty fishy…" The twenty-two year old accomplished medic nin and ANBU Captain looked positively ridiculous. She was sitting on a soft, cushioned bench in a bar with funny looking curtains while actually laughing at those funny looking curtains.

"Oh, God…" Sasuke groaned. "This is going to be a long night."

* * *

"Sakura! Stop ­– _singing _-!"

"Rudolph the red nosed – hic! – Reindeer had a very – hic – y nose! Hic!" Haruno bellowed, earning very disapproving looks from passers-by, and some whistles from other wasted citizens. Uchiha snarled at those hammered citizens, and one of them threw up in response. Sasuke nearly Katon-ed him all the way to England (mind, they're in Japan… long way…) and he would have if Sakura hadn't stumble to walk on his other side, swaying dangerously and tripping over her own feet, but somehow keeping her balance.

Sasuke nearly Katon-ed _her_ all the way to England, but then realized… if he had, he wouldn't be able to get to her apartment, because she had the key. But, then again… yet he would be able to get to her apartment by breaking the really big window in her bedroom and climbing through it. But then, he would have to fix it, and he didn't have any money to fix it because Teuchi and Ayame now owned his wallet which had all of his money. Unless, he went to get more money from the Uchiha resident, but that thing was now ruins so… yeah, he didn't really have any choice but to _not_ Katon her all the way to England… which was a bummer.

"I believe I can fly! Hic! I believe I can touch the – hic – sky!" Sakura flapped her arms around, and started to run around in circles, red faced and giggling, and grinning like there was no tomorrow. Sasuke watched her distastefully, and caught her before she collided with him. "Hi, Sasuke-kun!" She chirped as he held her at arm-length by the shoulders. He just grunted in reply. Sakura frowned at him, and reached out her hands towards his face. Realizing this, Sasuke's face immediately started to burn, and his eyes widened just a fraction before Sakura's fingers met his lips…

"Why do you never smile, Sasuke-kun?" She inquired thoughtfully, her finger tips at the corners of his lips… pushing them upwards in a freakish smile. "You're always moody…" Her fingers pushed the corners of his lips down, making him frown. Sasuke couldn't help but _try_ to resist the urge not to bang his head against a nearby wall.

What the _hell_ was he thinking? She was _drunk!_ Damn him and his hormones… Hormones at the age of twenty-two. That is sad.

"Let's go, you drunken idiot…" Sasuke grumbled, letting go of Sakura's shoulders. At that moment, she started to sway and quickly fell forwards – landing face first in Sasuke's chest. She was giggling against it, making no attempt to get up _whatsoever._ The Uchiha rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, not to mention the strange position she was in. "My God…"

"Ne… Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whined tiredly, poking Sasuke's chest repeatedly. She sounded suddenly sleepy and exhausted. "I'm… tired…" She let out a long, wide yawn and her eyes closed. After listening for a minute or so, the Uchiha sighed when he heard her slow, relaxed breathing. Okay… good… he didn't have to deal with her anymore.

Sasuke hoisted Sakura onto his back, her head landing on the crook of his neck, and started walking. "Oh, God… I hope you don't drool." Sasuke muttered under his breath, grimacing at the thought. He rolled his eyes when she started snoring – quite loudly, I must say.

The Uchiha continued down the streets, giving small nods to those who greeted him, and snarls to those who found Sakura on his back a bit disturbing. In truth, he couldn't care less what people thought of him. In truth he could care _a lot_ about what _she_ thought of him. If she thought of him badly, than his plan would fail completely and quite miserably. If she didn't care about him, his plan _might_ work… but would probably fail. If she liked him, than his plan would succeed. He would rather have his plan succeed than fail, so he would have to butter her up… Aww, great. He had to butter her up… He was never good at complimenting and apologizing.

Sasuke shrugged at the thought of him trying to apologize to her for leaving without telling her. She might find it creepy (and so would he) but she would have to deal with it. She didn't deal with it… well, she might just have to try.

Finally resurfacing from this thoughts, the Sharingan user inhaled his surroundings quickly, before trying to figure out which was to go. Dammit… Konoha didn't change one bit, but after six years he forgot everything about it… Damn him and his stupid plan, but NOOO!! He HAD to go to Rock and buy IT. He just HAD to go to Rock and WAIT for them to DIG it out for him, then POLISH IT, than actually MAKE IT and stick it into that scrawny rounded piece of silver. DAMN THEM ALL TO THE DARKEST, DEEPEST—

"Oi… Teme?" Once again, he was jerked away from his thoughts.

The first thing that caught his eye was the unusually yellow patch on top of a head. Then, the strangely _blue_ orbs that seemed to stare at him like he was insane. Sasuke, not able to think at the moment, just blinked.

"Teme? You're back already?" The strange creature asked. The Uchiha sighed.

"'Already'?" Sasuke inquired, raising a brow. "Naruto, it's been six years."

The blonde blinked. "It has?"

"Yes."

Naruto blinked again. "Why is Sakura on your back?"

"She's drunk."

Immediately, Naruto's eyes widened. A look of fear crept onto his face, and his skin paled. "She is?"

"Yes."

"Crap."

Sasuke was confused. "Crap?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she's drunk."

"And that's bad, because…?"

"You don't know?"

"No."

"Whoa, teme. You call yourself her boyfriend."

The Uchiha glared coldly. "Naruto, it's been six years. People change."

"Right."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Tell me!"

"Tell you what?"

"About the drunk Sakura thing."

"Oh. Right."

"So?"

"So what?"

Sasuke growled, and Naruto stiffened. "Oh. Let's just say… Sakura is worse than Lee when she's drunk. I think you can figure the rest out." The Kyuubi-vessel glanced at the pink-haired woman on Sasuke's back. "Is she asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Do not wake her up. Keep her sleeping. Perform a Sleeping Technique on her if you need to. Just keep her sleeping. At least till dawn." Uzumaki looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perform a Sleeping Technique on her. Those work best. She'll wake up when the drunkenness wears off. And whatever you do, _do not try to knock her out._ Good luck."

And Naruto was gone. Not even in a poof of smoke, but just… gone.

A question rotated in Sasuke's mind as he blinked. It wasn't an important question, but just some random inquiry. Why is trying to knock Sakura out in a drunken state a bad thing?

A soft groan tore Uchiha from his thoughts, and Sakura shifted her weight on his back. He was now unbalanced since she had drifted off to one side, and formerly she was located right in the middle, putting pressure on his spine, which was quite comfortable. He was used to having had to carry many things on his back before. Now, she was located at his left side, and he was right-handed, and it was not helping.

Sakura grunted and rolled over once again, practically sliding off his back. He let her, but being the 'gentleman' he was, Sasuke twisted his body around, and caught the pink-haired nuisance in his arms, bridal style. Just then, her eyes fluttered open.

Sasuke's breath got stuck in his throat as he looked down at her eyes. They were completely different then the other Sakura, a.k.a. the ranting, swearing, killing, and insane Sakura that was sober. This drunken Sakura's eyes were so… beautiful. They were not hollow or dull, but instead, they shone brilliantly, nearly blinding the Uchiha. The emerald glisten had returned to her orbs, as well as the innocence the sober Sakura had never heard of before. The sober Sakura was angry, and sad, but he could see past her sorrow. He saw loneliness. Loneliness that he had experienced when his parents died and he only just realized…

…how much she must have _loved_ him.

Yes, _loved._

No… not loved. Not past tense. Sasuke couldn't help a chuckle. She was denser than Naruto at times. She _still_ loved him. That's why she became so bitter and ugly-tempered. Because, he used to be like that. He used to be ignorant and arrogant and self-centered, and only focused on his goal – killing his own brother.

"Nnn… Sasuke-kun?" The dark-haired man stiffened as Sakura's soft, pink lips parted in a yawn, and she grabbed onto his shirt forcefully, almost pulling the poor boy down. Damn her, and her super-human strength. Sasuke grimaced. Damn, she was awake.

"Yeah?" answered Sasuke uncertainly, as he set Sakura down and her fingers unattached themselves from his shirt. There she was, the new Sakura in all her frightening glory. She amazed Sasuke to no end. One minute she's drunk and childish, the next she's sober again, and freakier than ever. He couldn't help a smirk as the medical-nin shook her head, blinked her eyes, and returned to the normal state the sober Haruno should be in. She looked the Uchiha over with a suspicious, hollow gaze.

"What the hell, Uchiha?" She inquired testily, narrowing her eyes at the innocent man. "Did you molest me and then erase my memory or something?" Sasuke blinked. Did it really look like he did? Is he really that suspicious looking? Many passers-by started whispering, and other – more elderly citizens – shook their heads at Sakura's bluntness.

"Do I really look like that?" He asked, trying to sound less confused than he already felt.

"Yes, you really look the type." answered Sakura, nodding. Sasuke gazed at her for a moment, before shaking his head – as if to clear his head of any unwanted thoughts – and starting towards the apartment.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He muttered softly as he passed the woman which his plan revolved around. He'll have to start to butter her up soon, and that wouldn't be easy since they had that bet. Sakura would probably be pretty cranky, being hungry for a week and all. Ooh, joys of watching Sakura struggle and flash evil glares at fridge. If only she knew that he never starved for a week in a crummy old cave. If only she knew he was prepared enough to have a secret stash…

* * *

The door creaked as she unlocked and opened the door to the apartment, and stepped inside quietly, not bothering to turn on the light. Her foot steps were soft against the wooden floors as she made her way tiredly towards the kitchen. Just when she was about to open the refrigerator door—

"Hey." His deep voice halted her hand, finger tips millimeters away from the cool, metal handle. She turned to him, meeting his hard stare with a wary gaze.

"What?" She asked her voice hoarse. She was in a pitiful state. Her back was slouched, legs weary, arms weak and barely liftable, while her eyes seemed midnight black in the darkness. Not even the moonlight dared enter the open window. Yes, she was in a sad, sad state.

"Bet." He crossed his arms. "No food." He nodded towards the fridge. "One week."

She gazed at him for a moment, before straightening her back, and turning her previously tired looking expression into one of malice and deepest loathing. "Fuck you, Uchiha." She stomped out of the kitchen, and once the door to her room closed with a _bang_, the said Uchiha snickered, before turning on his heels and stepping out the apartment. He glided down the stone hallway and out the exit, before vanishing into the cool night.

* * *

Ooh. Ahh. Eeh. Anyways... WHAT is Sasuke's plan/surprise/secret everyone except Sakura knows about? Where is he going, gliding and vanishing into the night? Have any opinions, well-sculptured critism, and/or questions? Ask away at the review machine! Put your fingers on the keyboard, press the buttons and _type!_ Then, click the Go button, and your dreams will come true! Thanks for readin', and leave a review on your way out! .


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